Dawson County native Natalie Burt was crowned Miss KARE for Kids 2012 on Saturday evening at Riverview Middle School.

A junior at Dawson County High School, the veteran beauty queen, who has been competing in pageants since elementary school, is excited to be the face of KARE for Kids for the next year.

"I'm very excited to have the opportunity to go out in our community and help people," Burt said.

Now in its third year, the pageant is one of several fundraisers for KARE for Kids, a local nonprofit organization that provides Christmas presents to local children in need.

"I think this will be a fun experience," said Burt, who plans to attend a four-year university and study interior design.

Burt, 16, is the daughter of Eugene and Jennifer Burt of Dawsonville. She attends Juno Baptist Church, plays on the high school softball team and is active in Y-Club and FBLA.

More than 70 contestants competed in Saturday's pageants in seven different age divisions. Judging was based on beauty, poise and personality.

Each division queen received a crown, sash and bouquet of flowers. Trophies were also awarded to the runners-up of each age division.

KARE for Kids spokeswoman Robin Smith said the pageant has nearly doubled in the last few years.

"We had such a good turn out and everything went great," she said.

As queen, Burt and her court will ride in the parade Saturday morning that kicks off the 44th annual Mountain Moonshine Festival this weekend.

The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. and travels through downtown Dawsonville.